


If I Can’t Be a Good Example, I’ll At Least Be A Dire Warning

by MayGlenn



Series: Maeglin's RIP Roswell 2020 [3]
Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Dark Humor, Día de los Muertos | Day of the Dead, Gen, Halloween Costumes, Rosa is a Little Shit, Sibling Love, sibling feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:14:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27256267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MayGlenn/pseuds/MayGlenn
Summary: “Rosa, it’s not funny,” Liz said. “I’m not letting you leave the house like that.”“What? What’s wrong with my costume?”Liz just put a hand on her hip and didn’t say anything.Rosa sighed. “Steering wheel and tequila bottle combo a little too on the nose?”
Relationships: Liz Ortecho & Rosa Ortecho
Series: Maeglin's RIP Roswell 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1985932
Comments: 4
Kudos: 10
Collections: RIP Roswell 2020





	If I Can’t Be a Good Example, I’ll At Least Be A Dire Warning

**Author's Note:**

> For [RIP Roswell](https://riproswell.tumblr.com/post/627177290151903232/rest-in-peace-roswell-a-halloween-rnm-event) Saturday, October 31st - (Don’t Fear) The Reaper  
> prompt: the candles blew and then disappeared…  
> themes: death, afterlife, hauntings, and the paranormal

“Rosa, it’s not funny,” Liz said. “I’m not letting you leave the house like that.” 

“What? What’s wrong with my costume?”

What better way indeed for ‘Rosalinda’ to spend her first Halloween back to life than by celebrating it Los Dias de los Muertos style? She had painted her arms, chest and face in the sugar skull style, with her signature red roses tucked in among the bones. The crowning achievement of her calavera costume, however, was the glittery handprint across her face, remembering her murder by alien. 

Liz just put a hand on her hip and didn’t say anything. 

Rosa sighed. “Steering wheel and tequila bottle combo a little too on the nose?”

“The  _ handprint _ , Rosa. The drunk teen angle isn’t funny, either.” 

“It took me a  _ long  _ time to paint all this, Elizabeth.” 

“At best it’s an inside joke, and the only people who will actually get it might cry. You want to spend Halloween making half our friends cry? Don’t answer that!” 

“Hey, they didn’t kill me, what’ve they got to worry about?” Rosa complained, but Liz pulled out the little sister frown with older sister authority now, and Rosa sighed loudly. “Fine! I’m gonna need like thirty minutes to redo my face.” 

“We’ll be fashionably late,” Liz said, not budging. 

Rosa turned around and headed back to the bathroom, going at her face with about a thousand Q-tips. 

“I can’t believe you didn’t go on theme with the rest of us,” Liz said, adjusting her boobs in her purple spandex catsuit. “Speaking of making people cry, Alex will be mad you couldn’t find a single  _ Star Trek _ character you liked.” 

This year they had spread out across the serieses pretty well, with Michael, Alex and Maria going as Kirk, Spock, and Uhura, while she and Max were going as Deanna Troi and Riker. Even Kyle Valenti, despite barely knowing what  _ Star Trek  _ was, had been talked into putting on a teal Starfleet uniform and coached to tell people he was Dr. Julian Bashir. 

(It was, as usual, anyone’s guess whether Isobel would be on theme or even dressed up at all.) 

“Alex knows my feelings about  _ Star Trek _ . He had ten years to do  _ Star Trek _ group costumes without me.” 

Liz chuckled and glanced down at her phone while she waited for Rosa to finish up. She texted Max to let him know they were running late. 

“Did you guys put up an ofrenda for me?” Rosa asked, hand steady as she painted. 

“Dad insisted on remembering you on Día de los Inocentes,” Liz said. It had been hard those first few years, but she could almost laugh about it now. “If you’d’ve stayed dead, he might have tried to get you canonized.” 

“Rosa Ortecho, the Patron Saint of Bad Decisions, and Even Worse Luck.” 

Rosa finished removing the sparkly handprint and re-touching her skull paint. Finally she applied red lipstick and held out her arms for inspection. “Okay, is this fine?” 

“Hang on—you need—” Liz said, and kissed Rosa’s cheek, leaving a bright red lipstick print there. When Rosa squirmed and complained, Liz grabbed a makeup brush and perfected the lines. “You’re alive again, and your baby older sister loves you. Let’s celebrate that.” 

“Ugh. Mush.” Rosa groaned, but she did smile at the lip-print in the mirror. “I can still haunt Max, though, right?” 

“ _ Rosa… _ ” 

“Turnabout’s fair play, Liz!” Rosa said, leading the way out the front door. 

“And put down that damned steering wheel!  _ Rosa _ !” 


End file.
